https://roninkatana.com
Tue, 14 Aug 2018 21:47:36 +0000https://roninkatana.com/samurai-sword-blog/want-to-be-a-ninja-they-are-hiring-in-japan/
Wed, 25 Jul 2018 18:38:56 +0000https://roninkatana.com/samurai-sword-blog/want-to-be-a-ninja-they-are-hiring-in-japan/Have you always dreamed of being a ninja? Did people crush your dreams by telling you Hollywood made them up? Not true! In fact ninja were, and are very real. The CIA even has a skill and history pagededicated in ninja. Even more shockingly, there is a city in Japan hiring real ninja for real money. $25,000-$30,000 USD per year in fact. IGA, Mie Prefecture, Japan has put the call out; they need ninja. A lot of ninja.

Before you pack your Ebay ninja suit and grab your ninja sword, throwing stars, and caltrops, there is a kicker. Yes the job is real, but, they don't need katana wielding ninja for assassinations, they need them for entertainment. Still, if you can live with getting paid to be a Disney World style ninja, the job is real, and it pays spendable money. You'll be a real Japanese ninja. That in itself is one hell of a pickup line.

]]>Have you always dreamed of being a ninja? Did people crush your dreams by telling you Hollywood made them up? Not true! In fact ninja were, and are very real. The CIA even has a skill and history pagededicated in ninja. Even more shockingly, there is a city in Japan hiring real ninja for real money. $25,000-$30,000 USD per year in fact. IGA, Mie Prefecture, Japan has put the call out; they need ninja. A lot of ninja.

Before you pack your Ebay ninja suit and grab your ninja sword, throwing stars, and caltrops, there is a kicker. Yes the job is real, but, they don't need katana wielding ninja for assassinations, they need them for entertainment. Still, if you can live with getting paid to be a Disney World style ninja, the job is real, and it pays spendable money. You'll be a real Japanese ninja. That in itself is one hell of a pickup line.

]]>https://roninkatana.com/samurai-sword-blog/hbo-needs-a-samurai-epic/
Sat, 21 Jul 2018 18:40:26 +0000https://roninkatana.com/samurai-sword-blog/hbo-needs-a-samurai-epic/HBO was recently acquired by AT&T in a blockbuster $85 billion deal. John Stankey is now heading up WarnerMedia and has promised to ramp up HBO's shows. This is where the opportunity to do something no one else is doing not only presents itself, but makes perfect sense; make a samurai epic. Everyone and their dog has piled onto the fantasy train after the success of Game of Thrones, which lead to the spillover piling onto the Viking theme shows. What is the only thing with global appeal missing? Feudal Japan with it's samurai, ninja, geisha, and shogun.

HBO gave us a taste of what they could do this year with Westworld setting a couple of episodes in Shogunworld, but all they really did was open the door to what's possible. HBO has the budget, they need fresh exciting content, and feudal Japan has it. Mongol invasions, the Warring States period, the battle to become shogun. There is enough content historically you could use history books to take scripts from.Oda Nobunaga, Musashi, the 47 Ronin. These are all real people who could provide seasons worth of stories.

Is there a market for it? Well, I sell a lot ofsamurai swords. A lot of them. I think the market for a high budget samurai epic is probably as big if not bigger than Game of Thrones. Feudal Japan was filled with backstabbing lords who demanded failure be met with death, and had no problem employing entire clans of ninja to burn down cities if they wind was blowing favorably.

So HBO, you say you are looking for content. There you go. You're welcome!

]]>HBO was recently acquired by AT&T in a blockbuster $85 billion deal. John Stankey is now heading up WarnerMedia and has promised to ramp up HBO's shows. This is where the opportunity to do something no one else is doing not only presents itself, but makes perfect sense; make a samurai epic. Everyone and their dog has piled onto the fantasy train after the success of Game of Thrones, which lead to the spillover piling onto the Viking theme shows. What is the only thing with global appeal missing? Feudal Japan with it's samurai, ninja, geisha, and shogun.

HBO gave us a taste of what they could do this year with Westworld setting a couple of episodes in Shogunworld, but all they really did was open the door to what's possible. HBO has the budget, they need fresh exciting content, and feudal Japan has it. Mongol invasions, the Warring States period, the battle to become shogun. There is enough content historically you could use history books to take scripts from.Oda Nobunaga, Musashi, the 47 Ronin. These are all real people who could provide seasons worth of stories.

Is there a market for it? Well, I sell a lot ofsamurai swords. A lot of them. I think the market for a high budget samurai epic is probably as big if not bigger than Game of Thrones. Feudal Japan was filled with backstabbing lords who demanded failure be met with death, and had no problem employing entire clans of ninja to burn down cities if they wind was blowing favorably.

So HBO, you say you are looking for content. There you go. You're welcome!

]]>https://roninkatana.com/samurai-sword-blog/samurai-fantasy-movie-blade-of-the-immortal-on-hulu/
Thu, 12 Jul 2018 18:40:48 +0000https://roninkatana.com/samurai-sword-blog/samurai-fantasy-movie-blade-of-the-immortal-on-hulu/Like katana? Like Samurai? Like a body count right out of an 80's Stallone or Schwarzenegger film? Then you are in luck! Blade of the Immortal with English subs is streaming on Hulu. Without giving away spoilers, be prepared for a movie short on plot and long on severed limbs. It's a straight up bloodbath. Takashi Miike is known for making absolute slaughter fests, and this one has a decent budget and body count. If you've got time to kill and a Hulu account, it's worth a watch.

A picture is worth a thousand samurai swords!

]]>Like katana? Like Samurai? Like a body count right out of an 80's Stallone or Schwarzenegger film? Then you are in luck! Blade of the Immortal with English subs is streaming on Hulu. Without giving away spoilers, be prepared for a movie short on plot and long on severed limbs. It's a straight up bloodbath. Takashi Miike is known for making absolute slaughter fests, and this one has a decent budget and body count. If you've got time to kill and a Hulu account, it's worth a watch.

A picture is worth a thousand samurai swords!

]]>https://roninkatana.com/samurai-sword-blog/katana-ninja-and-samurai-in-west-world-season-two/
Tue, 10 Jul 2018 18:41:26 +0000https://roninkatana.com/samurai-sword-blog/katana-ninja-and-samurai-in-west-world-season-two/If you have HBO chances are you have probably already watched season two of West World, so this is no surprise to you. If you haven't, season two has some great scenes in Samurai World with one of my favorite actors Hiroyuki Sanada. If you've seen The Last Samurai, The Wolverine, or 47 Ronin, then you would know him on sight. There is a decisive lack of samurai shows being made and I think Netflix and HBO are dropping a very large ball by not creating one. For now, the scenes in Samurai World will have to do.

If you have one of the AT&T unlimited plans you can get HBO for free, so add it to your Roku and watch some samurai sword swinging action.

]]>If you have HBO chances are you have probably already watched season two of West World, so this is no surprise to you. If you haven't, season two has some great scenes in Samurai World with one of my favorite actors Hiroyuki Sanada. If you've seen The Last Samurai, The Wolverine, or 47 Ronin, then you would know him on sight. There is a decisive lack of samurai shows being made and I think Netflix and HBO are dropping a very large ball by not creating one. For now, the scenes in Samurai World will have to do.

If you have one of the AT&T unlimited plans you can get HBO for free, so add it to your Roku and watch some samurai sword swinging action.

]]>https://roninkatana.com/samurai-sword-blog/the-japanese-samurai-sword-used-by-katana-in-the-suicide-squad-movie/
Fri, 01 Jul 2016 12:47:42 +0000https://roninkatana.com/samurai-sword-blog/the-japanese-samurai-sword-used-by-katana-in-the-suicide-squad-movie/August is going to be hotter than usual this year! DC is finally going to give fans what they have been clamoring for; Suicide Squad. Among the staples everyone knows like the Joker, Deadshot, and Harley Quinn is a lesser know character named Katana. Yep, just like the sword, which is what katana means in Japanese; sword.

Katana started out way back in the early 80's, and has been an off and on again character for DC every since. While she is not packing superhuman powers like Superman, she does have some Batman style martial arts training, and is packing a mystical blade that harvest souls. Not too shabby.

In the movie, Katana is played by Karen Fukuhara. On TV, she is played by Rila Fukushima. Which one is going to do a better job? Who cares! The more hot Japanese women with samurai swords the better!

Okay, so let's get to the meat of what this blog is about; swords!

From the screen shots, Katana is sporting, you guessed it, a katana. Soultaker, forged by the historical Muramasa, is a mystical blade that harvests the souls of those who's lives are taken by it. In the comic books, this bestows additional powers on the user, and from the screen shots, it appears the movie is going to go down that path as well. Looks like quite a few ghostly souls hovering over the blade in this picture.

My guess from the pictures, is that this is a 27-28 inch no hi (groove) blade, with a 10 inch tsuka (grip). The tsuba (guard) and habaki look pretty simple, although it's not possible to see the design from these pictures.

Here's a look at the Katana from the Arrow TV show, which has a much more detailed tsuba.

Unlike most samurai, Katana does not have a wakizashi with her. Instead it looks like she has an o-tanto, which is a very large and effective knife. Historically, samurai would not have used these for fighting, as the wakisashi was their go to weapon for close quarters combat. But, this is the modern world, and I personally have no problem with mix and match styles. On top of that, I would argue Katana is more of a ronin (masterless samurai), and less of a samurai to begin with. Does she look like she has a master?

A few more pictures.

No word yet on if anyone is going to offer a licensed version of the Suicide Squad katana for sale.

]]>August is going to be hotter than usual this year! DC is finally going to give fans what they have been clamoring for; Suicide Squad. Among the staples everyone knows like the Joker, Deadshot, and Harley Quinn is a lesser know character named Katana. Yep, just like the sword, which is what katana means in Japanese; sword.

Katana started out way back in the early 80's, and has been an off and on again character for DC every since. While she is not packing superhuman powers like Superman, she does have some Batman style martial arts training, and is packing a mystical blade that harvest souls. Not too shabby.

In the movie, Katana is played by Karen Fukuhara. On TV, she is played by Rila Fukushima. Which one is going to do a better job? Who cares! The more hot Japanese women with samurai swords the better!

Okay, so let's get to the meat of what this blog is about; swords!

From the screen shots, Katana is sporting, you guessed it, a katana. Soultaker, forged by the historical Muramasa, is a mystical blade that harvests the souls of those who's lives are taken by it. In the comic books, this bestows additional powers on the user, and from the screen shots, it appears the movie is going to go down that path as well. Looks like quite a few ghostly souls hovering over the blade in this picture.

My guess from the pictures, is that this is a 27-28 inch no hi (groove) blade, with a 10 inch tsuka (grip). The tsuba (guard) and habaki look pretty simple, although it's not possible to see the design from these pictures.

Here's a look at the Katana from the Arrow TV show, which has a much more detailed tsuba.

Unlike most samurai, Katana does not have a wakizashi with her. Instead it looks like she has an o-tanto, which is a very large and effective knife. Historically, samurai would not have used these for fighting, as the wakisashi was their go to weapon for close quarters combat. But, this is the modern world, and I personally have no problem with mix and match styles. On top of that, I would argue Katana is more of a ronin (masterless samurai), and less of a samurai to begin with. Does she look like she has a master?

A few more pictures.

No word yet on if anyone is going to offer a licensed version of the Suicide Squad katana for sale.

The last blog post that I wrote for Ronin
Katana was a book review of The Book of
Five Rings, the penultimate work of master swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. I
had read The Book of Five Rings more
than once, and continue to re-read it each year as part of my
"rotation" (like many voracious readers, I have favourites that I
can't help but revisit on a regular basis). In reading it, I felt that I had
gained insight into Musashi's life, swordsmanship, and philosophy. At the time
of writing the previous blog post I didn't really have any intentions of
revisiting the historical figure in writing anytime soon.

This was before I picked up a copy of Yoshikawa
Eiji's classic novel Musashi, which
arrived on my desk quite by surprise earlier this spring. I had heard of the
novel, but was unaware of its full scope and place in modern Japanese culture.
After some encouragement I picked it up and began reading, and was completely
engaged in only a few minutes. My lunch breaks for the next few weeks were
filled as I engrossed myself in the book. Partway through reading I realized
that I was not finished writing about Musashi after all, and I began making
notes for this blog post.

Some background: Yoshikawa Eiji lived
from 1892 - 1962, and was a well-known historical novelist, winning many awards
during his prolific writing career. His novel based on the life of Miyamoto
Musashi is one of his best-known works, particularly outside Japan. The novel
was serialized in Japan's largest newspaper between the years of 1935 and 1945,
and became one of the definitive interpretations of the popular historical
figure. The novel itself has been the basis for a large number of film and tv
adaptations as well as countless stage productions.

Toshiro Mifune as Miyamoto Musashi in The Samurai
Trilogy

A side note before continuing - if you
choose to pick up this novel, try to find the version that has the forward
written by Edwin Reischauer. Reischauer was a Harvard professor and American
ambassador to Japan from 1961-1966, and his insights into the cultural and
historical context are not only useful but necessary to fully appreciate the
breadth and depth of the novel. He (quite rightly in my view) identifies it as
a "Japanese 'Gone with the Wind,'" and contrasts it sharply with James Clavall's Shogun. Both novels
occur during the same time period, which was a time of political upheaval and
change for Japan. However, in Reischauer's opinion Shogun shows the use of more artistic license, while Musashi is more historically accurate -
while still being written as a thrilling adventure story.

The story begins with Musashi (called Takezō
at that point in his life) on a battlefield, but it is a battlefield on which
he was not a victor. He awakens, wounded and confused, after being on the
losing side of a fairly decisive battle between two ruling lords or Daimyo of
Japan. Incidentally, this is the battle that is about to take place at the end
of Clavall's Shogun.

Unlike the writer of The Book of Five Ringsthe young Takezō we
meet at first is little more than a thug. Brash and headstrong, he stumbles
through the first several encounters of the book with more luck than skill, and
more selfishness than manners. Returning to his village after recovering from
his wounds he winds up on the run from the winning side of the war, and before
long is hopelessly embroiled in a fight for his life that he can't hope to
win.

Another image of Toshiro Mifune as Miyamoto Musashi

Enter the side characters, who as the
book progresses grow into fully three-dimensional personas with their own
complex lives and stories. The priest Takuan, Musashi's friend Matahachi,
Matahachi's fiancee Otsu, even Musashi’s rival Sasaki Kojirō all play various
roles in the story as their own journeys weave them in and out of Takezō’s. Takezō
is eventually captured and, as punishment, is imprisoned in a single room in a
castle with nothing but books for company. For three long years he studies
texts about war, philosophy, and swordsmanship (including Sun Tzu's The Art of War, which is liberally
quoted throughout the novel). Upon his release Takezō is a changed man, and
takes the name "Miyamoto Musashi" as he embarks on his journey to
perfect the Way of the Sword.

Miyamoto Musashi’s self portrait

The story goes on, and details twelve
years of Musashi's life and travels. The story may be familiar to you already,
but the tale of this wandering swordsman is expertly expanded upon by
Yoshikawa. He uses some truly incredible descriptive prose in his writing - one
early example that stuck for me was as he described a village, saying,
"[the town&91; harbored a bevy of women of the night, who, throats powdered
white as was the fashion, hovered before their business establishments like
white bats under the eaves." The translation work was expertly done, with
none of the "clunkiness" that sometimes occurs when reading older
texts originally written in vastly different languages. I found the book to be
both accessible and enjoyable.

Miyamoto Musashi duels Sasaki Kojirō

I will not write a full synopsis of the
novel here, partly due to space (it is a historical epic, after all) and partly
because l don't like to spoil endings - even well known ones. But I will say
this - if you like tales of swashbuckling adventure, if you like dramatic
rescues and daring escapes, if you like romance and intrigue and moments of
comedy throughout - you will almost certainly like this book. Fans of the films
of Akira Kurosawa, or even anime and manga, will recognize many familiar
"tropes" in this novel.

I
urge anyone who has an interest or, like myself, a love for the Japanese
culture to pick this novel up and experience it for yourself - because just as
Musashi himself discovered, some knowledge can only be gained by experience.

About the author:

Daniel Dacombe is a freelance writer, reviewer, and collector of swords
and sci-fi/fantasy memorabilia. He has been a sword collector since
2006, a student of martial arts and history since 1998, and a geek since
birth. His collection includes swords, countless books, lightsabers,
and even a sonic screwdriver. While far from an expert, Daniel works to
make his reviews, interviews, and articles informative and accessible to
a wide variety of fan groups and collectors.

]]>Book Review - Musashi, by Yoshikawa Eiji

The last blog post that I wrote for Ronin
Katana was a book review of The Book of
Five Rings, the penultimate work of master swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. I
had read The Book of Five Rings more
than once, and continue to re-read it each year as part of my
"rotation" (like many voracious readers, I have favourites that I
can't help but revisit on a regular basis). In reading it, I felt that I had
gained insight into Musashi's life, swordsmanship, and philosophy. At the time
of writing the previous blog post I didn't really have any intentions of
revisiting the historical figure in writing anytime soon.

This was before I picked up a copy of Yoshikawa
Eiji's classic novel Musashi, which
arrived on my desk quite by surprise earlier this spring. I had heard of the
novel, but was unaware of its full scope and place in modern Japanese culture.
After some encouragement I picked it up and began reading, and was completely
engaged in only a few minutes. My lunch breaks for the next few weeks were
filled as I engrossed myself in the book. Partway through reading I realized
that I was not finished writing about Musashi after all, and I began making
notes for this blog post.

Some background: Yoshikawa Eiji lived
from 1892 - 1962, and was a well-known historical novelist, winning many awards
during his prolific writing career. His novel based on the life of Miyamoto
Musashi is one of his best-known works, particularly outside Japan. The novel
was serialized in Japan's largest newspaper between the years of 1935 and 1945,
and became one of the definitive interpretations of the popular historical
figure. The novel itself has been the basis for a large number of film and tv
adaptations as well as countless stage productions.

Toshiro Mifune as Miyamoto Musashi in The Samurai
Trilogy

A side note before continuing - if you
choose to pick up this novel, try to find the version that has the forward
written by Edwin Reischauer. Reischauer was a Harvard professor and American
ambassador to Japan from 1961-1966, and his insights into the cultural and
historical context are not only useful but necessary to fully appreciate the
breadth and depth of the novel. He (quite rightly in my view) identifies it as
a "Japanese 'Gone with the Wind,'" and contrasts it sharply with James Clavall's Shogun. Both novels
occur during the same time period, which was a time of political upheaval and
change for Japan. However, in Reischauer's opinion Shogun shows the use of more artistic license, while Musashi is more historically accurate -
while still being written as a thrilling adventure story.

The story begins with Musashi (called Takezō
at that point in his life) on a battlefield, but it is a battlefield on which
he was not a victor. He awakens, wounded and confused, after being on the
losing side of a fairly decisive battle between two ruling lords or Daimyo of
Japan. Incidentally, this is the battle that is about to take place at the end
of Clavall's Shogun.

Unlike the writer of The Book of Five Ringsthe young Takezō we
meet at first is little more than a thug. Brash and headstrong, he stumbles
through the first several encounters of the book with more luck than skill, and
more selfishness than manners. Returning to his village after recovering from
his wounds he winds up on the run from the winning side of the war, and before
long is hopelessly embroiled in a fight for his life that he can't hope to
win.

Another image of Toshiro Mifune as Miyamoto Musashi

Enter the side characters, who as the
book progresses grow into fully three-dimensional personas with their own
complex lives and stories. The priest Takuan, Musashi's friend Matahachi,
Matahachi's fiancee Otsu, even Musashi’s rival Sasaki Kojirō all play various
roles in the story as their own journeys weave them in and out of Takezō’s. Takezō
is eventually captured and, as punishment, is imprisoned in a single room in a
castle with nothing but books for company. For three long years he studies
texts about war, philosophy, and swordsmanship (including Sun Tzu's The Art of War, which is liberally
quoted throughout the novel). Upon his release Takezō is a changed man, and
takes the name "Miyamoto Musashi" as he embarks on his journey to
perfect the Way of the Sword.

Miyamoto Musashi’s self portrait

The story goes on, and details twelve
years of Musashi's life and travels. The story may be familiar to you already,
but the tale of this wandering swordsman is expertly expanded upon by
Yoshikawa. He uses some truly incredible descriptive prose in his writing - one
early example that stuck for me was as he described a village, saying,
"[the town&91; harbored a bevy of women of the night, who, throats powdered
white as was the fashion, hovered before their business establishments like
white bats under the eaves." The translation work was expertly done, with
none of the "clunkiness" that sometimes occurs when reading older
texts originally written in vastly different languages. I found the book to be
both accessible and enjoyable.

Miyamoto Musashi duels Sasaki Kojirō

I will not write a full synopsis of the
novel here, partly due to space (it is a historical epic, after all) and partly
because l don't like to spoil endings - even well known ones. But I will say
this - if you like tales of swashbuckling adventure, if you like dramatic
rescues and daring escapes, if you like romance and intrigue and moments of
comedy throughout - you will almost certainly like this book. Fans of the films
of Akira Kurosawa, or even anime and manga, will recognize many familiar
"tropes" in this novel.

I
urge anyone who has an interest or, like myself, a love for the Japanese
culture to pick this novel up and experience it for yourself - because just as
Musashi himself discovered, some knowledge can only be gained by experience.

About the author:

Daniel Dacombe is a freelance writer, reviewer, and collector of swords
and sci-fi/fantasy memorabilia. He has been a sword collector since
2006, a student of martial arts and history since 1998, and a geek since
birth. His collection includes swords, countless books, lightsabers,
and even a sonic screwdriver. While far from an expert, Daniel works to
make his reviews, interviews, and articles informative and accessible to
a wide variety of fan groups and collectors.

]]>https://roninkatana.com/samurai-sword-blog/how-ebay-samurai-swords-get-made-in-china-an-inside-look-at-sword-making-part-six/
Fri, 26 Feb 2016 15:33:38 +0000https://roninkatana.com/samurai-sword-blog/how-ebay-samurai-swords-get-made-in-china-an-inside-look-at-sword-making-part-six/Recently I commented on a thread posted on the SBG forum. The topic was "Are most ebayer sellers operating under a parent company." The question later came up, as it usually does, about whether these ebay sword dealers own factories as they claim. The best way to answer that question is to get an address and go visit. A few forum members chimed in with addresses, and my wife, who is currently in China went for a visit. I asked her to take pictures of the buildings, and visit with the owners of the factories, and perhaps get a tour of the operation.

The first one -

Hanbon - nan da yang, Jian Chi Rd, Long Quan, China, 323700

This address is for a general area, and not a specific building. The area it's located in has retail shops, but no factories or assembly areas.

Sinosword - The address provided to ebayers is a restaurant with apartments above it. Odds are high that the dealers live in the apartment above. No factory.

Mystery solved...

]]>Recently I commented on a thread posted on the SBG forum. The topic was "Are most ebayer sellers operating under a parent company." The question later came up, as it usually does, about whether these ebay sword dealers own factories as they claim. The best way to answer that question is to get an address and go visit. A few forum members chimed in with addresses, and my wife, who is currently in China went for a visit. I asked her to take pictures of the buildings, and visit with the owners of the factories, and perhaps get a tour of the operation.

The first one -

Hanbon - nan da yang, Jian Chi Rd, Long Quan, China, 323700

This address is for a general area, and not a specific building. The area it's located in has retail shops, but no factories or assembly areas.

Sinosword - The address provided to ebayers is a restaurant with apartments above it. Odds are high that the dealers live in the apartment above. No factory.

Mystery solved...

]]>https://roninkatana.com/samurai-sword-blog/hanzo-steel-ninja-bujinkan-katana-/
Sun, 24 Jan 2016 19:49:44 +0000https://roninkatana.com/samurai-sword-blog/hanzo-steel-ninja-bujinkan-katana-/As a kid I was fascinated with all things Ninja. I dreamed about having the skills and weapons they carried. Sadly, my reality was shoddy ninja suits from flea markets, and cheap stainless steel ninja swords that had no resemblance to what historical Japanese Ninja actually used. Flash forward to the present day, and rainy Saturday afternoon, when Enter the Ninja happened to come on TV. I watched it, pined for a little slice of my childhood, and decided to design the sword I always wanted. One of the perks of owning a sword company.

Historically, real Japanese assassins trained in ninjutsu used shorter blades in longer sheaths to get the draw on their opponents. That extra half second had them already moving to strike before their opponent to get his sword out. Speed and stealth are the hallmarks of a real assassin. If you get caught, you die. If you get into a protracted fight, you die.

Today, swords are only carried into battle in movies and comic books. Deadpool is probably as close as it comes to a modern Ninja in pop-culture. Deadpool famously wears two Bujinkan inspired swords on his back, and he uses them with deadly efficiency. However Deadpool doesn't have to worry about the physics involved in getting his swords out of the sheath. That's where shorter blades come in. 24-26 inches is the sweet spot for back worn blades. Anything longer, and good luck getting it drawn from a back mounted position. Back mounted carry for longer swords is a fantastic idea, but you need time to get it drawn, unless you have a shorter blade.

When I designed my version of the ninja sword, I wanted a long handle for leverage, and a shorter blade for tight tactical situations. Try swinging a full size katana inside, and you'll quickly find you've cut a hole in your ceiling, or cut down your ceiling fan. A tactical sword come into play when you need don't want be in grapple range, but you are confined to tight space. Shorter is faster. Shorter is maneuverable. So we should all rush out and buy $1,000 military grade cutters right? Let's face it, the Apocalypse is probably not right around the corner. So while it's great to be prepared, it's more fun to actually have fun. Enter the Ninja... Well, Hanzo Steel Ninja sword that is. 26 inch titanium coated blade. 15.5 inch handle. Leather wrapped back worn sheath.

]]>As a kid I was fascinated with all things Ninja. I dreamed about having the skills and weapons they carried. Sadly, my reality was shoddy ninja suits from flea markets, and cheap stainless steel ninja swords that had no resemblance to what historical Japanese Ninja actually used. Flash forward to the present day, and rainy Saturday afternoon, when Enter the Ninja happened to come on TV. I watched it, pined for a little slice of my childhood, and decided to design the sword I always wanted. One of the perks of owning a sword company.

Historically, real Japanese assassins trained in ninjutsu used shorter blades in longer sheaths to get the draw on their opponents. That extra half second had them already moving to strike before their opponent to get his sword out. Speed and stealth are the hallmarks of a real assassin. If you get caught, you die. If you get into a protracted fight, you die.

Today, swords are only carried into battle in movies and comic books. Deadpool is probably as close as it comes to a modern Ninja in pop-culture. Deadpool famously wears two Bujinkan inspired swords on his back, and he uses them with deadly efficiency. However Deadpool doesn't have to worry about the physics involved in getting his swords out of the sheath. That's where shorter blades come in. 24-26 inches is the sweet spot for back worn blades. Anything longer, and good luck getting it drawn from a back mounted position. Back mounted carry for longer swords is a fantastic idea, but you need time to get it drawn, unless you have a shorter blade.

When I designed my version of the ninja sword, I wanted a long handle for leverage, and a shorter blade for tight tactical situations. Try swinging a full size katana inside, and you'll quickly find you've cut a hole in your ceiling, or cut down your ceiling fan. A tactical sword come into play when you need don't want be in grapple range, but you are confined to tight space. Shorter is faster. Shorter is maneuverable. So we should all rush out and buy $1,000 military grade cutters right? Let's face it, the Apocalypse is probably not right around the corner. So while it's great to be prepared, it's more fun to actually have fun. Enter the Ninja... Well, Hanzo Steel Ninja sword that is. 26 inch titanium coated blade. 15.5 inch handle. Leather wrapped back worn sheath.

]]>https://roninkatana.com/samurai-sword-blog/marvels-deadpool-movie-samurai-swords-and-guns-a-look-at-the-katana-deadpool-uses-/
Sun, 03 Jan 2016 18:06:27 +0000https://roninkatana.com/samurai-sword-blog/marvels-deadpool-movie-samurai-swords-and-guns-a-look-at-the-katana-deadpool-uses-/This February Marvel Comic's Deadpool will hit theaters. This marks one of the few times a comic book inspired movie will have an R rating. Others have been the Blade movies, and the Watchmen. Like Blade, and the Watchmen, Deadpool also focuses on an anti-hero instead of a super hero. It's interesting to see FOX take the risk by making Deadpool rated R, and if it does well, it may encourage them to take a risk on a rated R version of Old Man Logan.

Movies, and the movie business are not my area of expertise however, swords are. And like Blade, Deadpool is an anti-hero with an arsenal of guns and samurai swords. The katana as a weapon of choice for a fast moving hero looking to reap a nice harvest of bad guy limbs is actually a good one, as the primary weapon of the samurai was intended for one cut one kill scenarios. If you are an action hero looking to lop off a head in one shot, the katana if your go to sword.

In the comic books, Deadpool sports a pair of katana, which, because they are comic books, he can sheathe and unsheathe from his back with no problems at all. In fact, a long katana blade worn on the back is almost impossible to draw, as the typical human arm length is far to short. If Michonne had to get here katana out of the back sheath she uses in a hurry, she would long since have joined the zombie ranks. It's just not going to happen.

That's where the ko katana comes in. Ko katana are not historical swords, as some speculate; they are modern katana with a tactical influence. What people tend to think of as a historical ko katana, are in fact wakizashi. A ko katana is composed of a short blade, and a long handle. It gives you the advantage of a wakizashi, which was used in very close quarters, and the two handed leverage of a samurai sword. Quick and nimble, they can be exceedingly deadly in the hands of someone with training and heightened reflexes like Deadpool.

So is Deadpool using ko katana in the movie? I have no clue. From the angle, my guess is that's a 24-25 inch blade in the picture below, which would be a ko katana.

But this one makes it look he has a 28-30 inch katana blade.

The movie version of Deadpool's swords also look like they have unwrapped wooden handles. This differs from the comic books, where Deadpool sports a more traditional looking diamond wrap, or hybrid leather wrap. Take a look:

Regardless of what Deadpool is actually using in the movie - a katana or ko katana, you can reassured there is only one way he is going to be using it; violently. Like Wolverine, Deadpool is a melee fighter that likes to get up close and personal. When the bullets run out, the swords come out. With an R rating, this is going to be a real samurai style blood bath.

While it's unlikely Disney is every going to license a Deadpool samurai sword for sale, there are plenty of fan made kits on the web to take inspiration from. Just remember, for running around and looking cool, a back worn katana is pretty nice, but make sure you can actually get the sword out of the sheath before you take on a zombie horde.

]]>This February Marvel Comic's Deadpool will hit theaters. This marks one of the few times a comic book inspired movie will have an R rating. Others have been the Blade movies, and the Watchmen. Like Blade, and the Watchmen, Deadpool also focuses on an anti-hero instead of a super hero. It's interesting to see FOX take the risk by making Deadpool rated R, and if it does well, it may encourage them to take a risk on a rated R version of Old Man Logan.

Movies, and the movie business are not my area of expertise however, swords are. And like Blade, Deadpool is an anti-hero with an arsenal of guns and samurai swords. The katana as a weapon of choice for a fast moving hero looking to reap a nice harvest of bad guy limbs is actually a good one, as the primary weapon of the samurai was intended for one cut one kill scenarios. If you are an action hero looking to lop off a head in one shot, the katana if your go to sword.

In the comic books, Deadpool sports a pair of katana, which, because they are comic books, he can sheathe and unsheathe from his back with no problems at all. In fact, a long katana blade worn on the back is almost impossible to draw, as the typical human arm length is far to short. If Michonne had to get here katana out of the back sheath she uses in a hurry, she would long since have joined the zombie ranks. It's just not going to happen.

That's where the ko katana comes in. Ko katana are not historical swords, as some speculate; they are modern katana with a tactical influence. What people tend to think of as a historical ko katana, are in fact wakizashi. A ko katana is composed of a short blade, and a long handle. It gives you the advantage of a wakizashi, which was used in very close quarters, and the two handed leverage of a samurai sword. Quick and nimble, they can be exceedingly deadly in the hands of someone with training and heightened reflexes like Deadpool.

So is Deadpool using ko katana in the movie? I have no clue. From the angle, my guess is that's a 24-25 inch blade in the picture below, which would be a ko katana.

But this one makes it look he has a 28-30 inch katana blade.

The movie version of Deadpool's swords also look like they have unwrapped wooden handles. This differs from the comic books, where Deadpool sports a more traditional looking diamond wrap, or hybrid leather wrap. Take a look:

Regardless of what Deadpool is actually using in the movie - a katana or ko katana, you can reassured there is only one way he is going to be using it; violently. Like Wolverine, Deadpool is a melee fighter that likes to get up close and personal. When the bullets run out, the swords come out. With an R rating, this is going to be a real samurai style blood bath.

While it's unlikely Disney is every going to license a Deadpool samurai sword for sale, there are plenty of fan made kits on the web to take inspiration from. Just remember, for running around and looking cool, a back worn katana is pretty nice, but make sure you can actually get the sword out of the sheath before you take on a zombie horde.

]]>https://roninkatana.com/samurai-sword-blog/amcs-into-the-badlands-kung-fu-jian-and-katana-mix-it-up-on-tv-in-a-samurai-style-western/
Mon, 23 Nov 2015 13:22:19 +0000https://roninkatana.com/samurai-sword-blog/amcs-into-the-badlands-kung-fu-jian-and-katana-mix-it-up-on-tv-in-a-samurai-style-western/The Apocalypse has come and gone, and all that's left now are poppy fields and kung fu fighters! So far, that's the premise of AMC's In the Badlands, which airs on Sunday nights.

"The wars were so long ago nobody even remembers. Darkness and fear ruled
until the time of the barons, seven men and women who forged order out
of chaos. People flocked to them for protection. That protection became
servitude. They banished guns and trained armies of lethal fighters they
called Clippers. This world is built on blood. Nobody is innocent here.
Welcome to the Badlands."

When a show starts off with a intro like that, you know it's just a matter of time before the weapons come out and things get bloody! In this case, the weapons of choice seem to to be kung fu, jian, and katana. Although I suspect we'll see more sword styles as the show progresses.

Into the Badlands is a mashup of feudal Europe, samurai films, westerns, and cartel style drug lords all fighting it out in a race to see who can generate the largest pile of corpses. Since this is a blog dedicated to swords, I'll just toss out some pictures courtesy and copyright of AMC, and let them do the talking.

So far it doesn't appear that AMC has licensed the swords to anyone, and the Chinese factories are either asleep at the wheel, or waiting for the show to take off before they start flooding the market with swords for sale from the show. We here at Ronin are digging the show so far, and looking forward to seeing the characters get fleshed out. Tossing in an accomplished actor like Henry Thomas (Legends of the Fall, Gangs of New York, and E.T.) who has extensive training in medieval weapons would be a major plus. The more people they have on screen who actually know what they are doing, the better the show is going to look.

]]>The Apocalypse has come and gone, and all that's left now are poppy fields and kung fu fighters! So far, that's the premise of AMC's In the Badlands, which airs on Sunday nights.

"The wars were so long ago nobody even remembers. Darkness and fear ruled
until the time of the barons, seven men and women who forged order out
of chaos. People flocked to them for protection. That protection became
servitude. They banished guns and trained armies of lethal fighters they
called Clippers. This world is built on blood. Nobody is innocent here.
Welcome to the Badlands."

When a show starts off with a intro like that, you know it's just a matter of time before the weapons come out and things get bloody! In this case, the weapons of choice seem to to be kung fu, jian, and katana. Although I suspect we'll see more sword styles as the show progresses.

Into the Badlands is a mashup of feudal Europe, samurai films, westerns, and cartel style drug lords all fighting it out in a race to see who can generate the largest pile of corpses. Since this is a blog dedicated to swords, I'll just toss out some pictures courtesy and copyright of AMC, and let them do the talking.

So far it doesn't appear that AMC has licensed the swords to anyone, and the Chinese factories are either asleep at the wheel, or waiting for the show to take off before they start flooding the market with swords for sale from the show. We here at Ronin are digging the show so far, and looking forward to seeing the characters get fleshed out. Tossing in an accomplished actor like Henry Thomas (Legends of the Fall, Gangs of New York, and E.T.) who has extensive training in medieval weapons would be a major plus. The more people they have on screen who actually know what they are doing, the better the show is going to look.